The Narendra Modi government’s Ayushman Bharat Yojana will apply compulsorily to private healthcare facilities in Bengal and might be linked to the renewal of clinical establishment licences, a senior state government official said on Tuesday.
More than one private hospital chain with units in multiple states said they had not registered to be part of the welfare scheme in several places outside Bengal, and were awaiting “further instructions” from the state government.
The Suvendu Adhikari government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre on June 8 for the implementation of central health schemes like Ayushman Bharat.
“The MoU will be signed with the Centre on June 8 for the implementation of Ayushman Bharat. We are finalising all the details on how to ensure seamless integration of Ayushman Bharat and Swasthya Sathi (introduced by the erstwhile Mamata Banerjee government),” the Bengal official said.
Asked about many hospitals in other states not registering for the scheme, the official said it would be mandatory in Bengal.
“All government welfare schemes in Bengal are mandatory. Ayushman Bharat will also be mandatory for hospitals and nursing homes,” the official said, adding it could be tied to the renewal of clinical establishment licences.
The eastern regional head of one hospital said the chain had registered with Ayushman Bharat in cities like Bengaluru and Delhi, but only for select speciality treatments.
“We have not registered for all specialities under Ayushman Bharat in other states. In Bengal, we will have to wait for the state government’s decision,” the regional head said.
“For Swasthya Sathi, we had to register for all specialities because it was a universal scheme. There was also a lot of pressure from the earlier state government."
Ayushman Bharat only covers below-poverty-line people and those above 70.
The Bengal official said Swasthya Sathi and Ayushman Bharat would be integrated.
According to sources, hospitals will have to fill out a detailed form to register for Ayushman Bharat. Once approved, they will get a unique ID. After that, they will have to register the names and details of the doctors and nurses, and their Aadhaar cards will be linked to the scheme.
Suvendu had earlier indicated that Ayushman Bharat and Swasthya Sathi would operate simultaneously in the state, at least for some time.
After the new government’s first cabinet meeting at Nabanna, the chief minister had announced: “Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Bengal would be linked to Ayushman Bharat after the first cabinet meeting (of the new government). The chief secretary, health secretary and advisers in thechief minister’s office willformalise the necessaryagreements with the Union health ministry as soon aspossible.
“We will create a paperless office and update every portal. The direct benefit transfer will continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. But everything will be done with complete transparency.
“No dead person should be eligible for welfare schemes. Someone who is not Indian should not be entitled to a welfare scheme of the Indiangovernment.”
According to a PIB release of July 25, 2025, more than 41 crore Ayushman cards had been issued across India, and over 31,000 hospitals were empanelled under the scheme.
An official of one private hospital chain with units in Delhi and Bengaluru, among other cities, said it had not registered with Ayushman Bharat yet.
He said: “In Bengal, we had to accept the Swasthya Sathi scheme because the earlier state government had made it mandatory for us. The state government had formallyinformed us that if we didnot register with Swasthya Sathi, the clinical establishment licence would not berenewed.”
He added: “We have yet to start registration for Ayushman Bharat. We are waiting for further clarifications.”
Officials of another group said they had not registered with Ayushman Bharat in other cities. “In Bengal, we are yet to register and are waiting,” he said.
However, several hospitals have started the process to join the scheme.
“We have already registered for Ayushman Bharat and have got the unique ID. Now, we are in the process of registering the doctors and nurses,” said Pradip Tondon, CEO, Belle Vue Clinic. “We support the scheme and will help implement it.”
Rupak Barua, president of the Association of Hospitals of Eastern India, said: “Some hospitals are yet to register for Ayushman Bharat. I encourage all to register for the scheme since it’s a welfareinitiative.”